Please turn to the book of Micah chapter 2 and verse 7 May the Lord help us to consider his word

The book of Micah chapter 2 and verse 7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob Is the spirit of the Lord straightened? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

The Prophet Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah. We read at the beginning of the book that he prophesied during the reign of the same kings as Isaiah and like his better known contemporary he had to expose the ungodliness of the people and warned them of coming judgment both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom

I mentioned and Samaria the capital of the Northern Kingdom was soon going to be destroyed and that is spoken of early in this prophecy and Jerusalem the capital of Judah was heading in the same direction although it would be spared for a while yet

in this chapter begins with a woe, a warning to the covetous, those who coveted the possessions of others and they were they were men of power and they were able to take by violence what belonged to others and it reminds us of King Ahab who coveted Naboth's vineyard and you remember his wife orchestrated the death of Naboth through false accusation and then Ahab went and took possession of the vineyard

well what Ahab did in his day apparently others who had power were doing in the days of Micah and so there was this dreadful oppression and these people who were sinning with a high hand they didn't want prophets who preached faithfully they wanted to silence faithful prophets we read it in verse 6 prophesy ye not say they to them that prophesy they shall not prophesy to them that they shall not take shame

so they wanted to silence the faithful prophets and they wanted to appoint the kind of men who would tell them what they wanted to hear who would tell them that basically they could have what they wanted We read in verse 11, If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and a strong drink, he shall even be the prophet of this people.

They wanted prophets who would condone their sins, who would cry peace, peace, when there is no peace. So that's the situation in which Micah was prophesying.

Now as we look at this verse this morning I have four headings and the first two we might say are negative and the other two are positive. So my first heading is reputation without reality.

Reputation without reality. The verse begins, O thou that art named the house of Jacob. These people had a name. They were named the house of Jacob. they had the name of their ancestor Jacob but they didn't have the relationship with God which their ancestor Jacob had

how different they were from Nathaniel that we read about in John chapter 1 you remember when he came to the Lord Jesus having been invited by his friend Philip when Jesus saw him coming he said behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile he was a true a true Israelite we might say he was not only a physical descendant of Jacob but he was a spiritual descendant as well

and in fact he had in some ways we might say he was a better man than Jacob because it couldn't be said of Jacob in whom there is no guile in whom there is no deceit Jacob was a deceitful man wasn't he? but Jesus said concerning Nathanael in whom there is no guile no deceit there was something transparent about his character

Well what a contrast then we have with these people and a man like Nathaniel. They had this name, they had this reputation of belonging to the house of Jacob. The Jews were rather too fond of their ancestry they relied on it you remember that John the Baptist said when he was preaching think not to say within yourselves we have Abraham to our father for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham don't depend on your ancestry that's what he was saying You need a personal relationship with God. You need personal dealings with God.

There are many today who claim the name of Christian who are not true Christians. We read of how the Christian name came about, don't we? In Acts chapter 11. The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch a true Christian is a disciple of Christ but there are many professing Christians who are not disciples of Christ reputation without reality we have in the book of Revelation a church that was in a similar situation the church at Sardis we read in Revelation chapter 3 of the church at Sardis thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead think of it they had the reputation they had the name a name that thou livest and art dead have solemn reputation without reality

secondly sin without shame we're told at the end of this at verse 6 that these people didn't want to take shame prophesy not to them they shall not prophesy to them that they shall not take shame they didn't want to be made to feel ashamed of their sins what a picture of things in our own day People think that they should be able to live as they feel, as they want to live. They shouldn't be told that something is wrong, that their lifestyle is wrong.

These people and in Micah's day they wanted to carry on with a sinful lifestyle without feeling shame they didn't want to feel guilty so they didn't want to be reproved by the prophets and my friends left to ourselves we will be the same but the grace of God makes us willing to receive reproof

David in Psalm 141 and verse 5 says this let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oil which shall not break my head for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities there are times when we need reproof there are times when we need to be smitten as it were smitten with faithful words faithful are the wounds of a friend we read in the book of Proverbs and David recognised that and he prayed that he would be able to receive reproof as a kindness and he said yet my prayers also should be in their calamities if a wise reprover comes into a time of calamity then I will pray for that person because for one thing because i appreciate their faithful dealing with me when Nathan confronted David with his sin remember he told that story of the man with the well there was the rich man with many flocks and herds and there was the poor man we just have one new lamb and when this visitor came this traveller came to the rich man instead of taking one of his own many sheep or lambs he took the poor man's lamb and you remember David was so angry when he heard this story and then Nathan said to him thou art the man thou art the man and David fell under that word, didn't he? And David's response was, I have sinned against the Lord.

We read in the book of Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse in verse 18 says I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth he felt that sense of shame we read in the book of Ezra of how when he heard of the things that were going on the mixed marriages that were taking place and so on and he poured out his heart to the Lord and he said O Lord I am ashamed I blush to lift up my face unto Thee

do you know what it is to come before God with that sense of shame because of your sinfulness because of your waywardness for these people it was sin without shame but where the Holy Spirit is working convincing there will be shame there will be confession there will be that acknowledgement of our sin and like the publican pleading for mercy

Thirdly, I want to speak of power without parameters. Power without parameters. Is the spirit of the Lord straightened? would restrict him if they could when Stephen was speaking his defense before his accusers in Acts chapter 7 after tracing through the history of God's people in the Old Testament he speaks very directly to his accusers and he says to them you do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did left to ourselves we would resist the Holy Ghost but my friends we can't limit his power in Numbers chapter 11 we read how the people were dissatisfied with God's provision with the manner that God provided every day and they craved flesh to eat and the Lord said he will give them flesh he said he will give them enough for a month for a whole month and Moses himself was incredulous how can this be possible? shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them? shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them?

the Lord said to him is the Lord's hand waxed short and those words waxed short are from the same Hebrew word that's here translated straightened restricted God said is the Lord's hand waxed short thou shalt see whether my word shall come to pass or not and we know that God's word did come to pass and twice in Isaiah we have the same underlying Hebrew word in chapter 52

Chapter 50. And verse two, in the middle of the verse, God says, is my hand short and at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? And then in chapter 59 and verse one, behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear

this is the question is the spirit of the Lord straightened? is his power restricted? and of course We know it is not. God is almighty. His power is boundless. And it goes on to ask, are these his doings? Which I take it to mean what these people are saying in their unbelief. are these his doings and of course they are not these things spring from their own fallen nature from their own evil hearts but what a cause of rejoicing it is that the spirit of the Lord is not straightened that the Lord's hand is not shortened how often in the scriptures we're reminded of God's almighty power we're reminded of his power in creation again and again we have references to what God did in creation to remind us of his almighty power and Jeremiah in chapter 32 after the Lord had told him to buy that piece of ground and he knew that he'd never be able to use it it would never be any benefit to him but he did as the Lord commanded him and it was a sign that men would in future after the captivity men would by fields they would subscribe evidences the land would be used again after the captivity but when Jeremiah had obeyed the Lord and he'd made this purchase he said in verse 17 our Lord God behold thou has made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm and there is nothing too hard for they this is the God that we worship this is the God in whom we trust the God with whom nothing is impossible

he said to Abraham in the hearing of Sarah after she had laughed at the thought of having a son in her old age the Lord said is anything too hard for the Lord and so God's word came to pass and Sarah did bear a son in her old age.

And in the New Testament we have that even greater miracle of the birth of the Lord Jesus, the virgin birth of Christ. And the angel Gabriel said to Mary at the conclusion of this revelation to her, for with God nothing shall be impossible

we read in the Psalms the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battle we read of his mighty voice he sendeth out his voice and that a mighty voice we read of his mighty arm thou hast a mighty arm strong is thy hand High is thy right hand. And we read again and again of his mighty acts.

When the temple was rebuilt after the captivity, it was said to Zarababur, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit. saith the Lord of hosts and so it is with the building of the spiritual temple it's by the power of the Spirit of God

Paul writes of his ministry and how the Lord and enabled him to fulfil that ministry such an amazing labour he writes to the Romans in Romans chapter 15 for I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God so that from Jerusalem and round about unto Illaricum I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ

the power of the Spirit of God Is the Spirit of the Lord straightened? No! His power is still the same and every believer is a miracle of grace wrought by the sovereign spirit of God and how the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus in John chapter 3 the wind bloweth where it listed and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the spirit

the wind blows where it will we can't control it and the work of the Holy Spirit is sovereign and it's mysterious we cannot explain it but how good it is to see the evidence of it

And the evidence of it was apparent as time went on in Nicodemus. He was very ignorant when he came to the Lord Jesus, although he was a Pharisee, although he knew the scriptures, he was a master in Israel. But Jesus said to him, didn't he? Master in his right. No, it's not these things.

But as we read it on in the Gospel of John, it becomes evident that the Lord was working in him. And he spoke a word in defense of the Lord Jesus in John chapter 7 and then in John chapter 19 we read how he along with Joseph of Arimathea took down the body of the Lord Jesus from the cross and prepared it for burial when the disciples were not in evidence as it were

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who had been as it were more secret disciples they came out into the open and they declared their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. We love him because he first loved us.

How encouraging it is to know that the spirit of the Lord is not straightened in the days in which we live. people would control, people would manipulate but the spirit can't be controlled, the spirit can't be manipulated and his work goes on that powerful work power power without parameters without boundaries

but then I want to come to the last part of the verse do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly and so my fourth heading is good without grudging good without grudging do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly

there is a verse that's very much in harmony with this in Psalm 84 where we read no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly

now God has engaged in his covenant to do good to his people I've already referred to Jeremiah chapter 32 where Jeremiah was told to buy that field and how he responded afterwards acknowledging the Lord's almighty power later on in that chapter we read of the everlasting covenant and in verses 39 to 42 again and again we have that word good

I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them and of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good. I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good. I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

but thus saith the Lord like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them long before that in the book of Genesis when Jacob heard that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men he was greatly afraid and distressed and he pleaded with the Lord to appear for him and he reminded the Lord of his promises and he summed up the Lord's promises to him by saying and thou saidst I will surely do thee good that's how he summed up God's promises to him

my friends it is true for every one of the Lord's people I will surely do thee good and it is by means of his word that he does us good we read in Psalm 19 of some of the benefits of God's Word and God's Word is life-giving and it's life-sustaining the Lord's people are born again of that incorruptible seed the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever.

And then nourished by that word, Peter writes of that incorruptible seed at the end of chapter one of his first epistle and then early in chapter two he speaks of desiring the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby. It's life giving, it's life sustaining. Do you feed on God's word? Do you find nourishment? Do you find benefit from it? If you don't find benefit from it, then perhaps you should be asking, why? Am I walking uprightly? or is there something in my life that is displeasing to God causing him to withhold his gracious influence in Psalm 66 the Psalmist says if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me if I'm cherishing some secret sin that displeases the Lord, he's not going to, he's going to withhold his blessing. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. But he goes on to say, but verily God hath heard me, he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

do not my word do good to him that walketh uprightly we read of the Lord Jesus that he went about doing good in his earthly ministry he went about doing good and my friends now in heaven he still does good to his needy people by his spirit and through his word he said if a man love me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him what good his gospel does what a feast there is for hungry souls

How does Isaiah express it in chapter 55? Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfies not you're looking in the wrong direction he says hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness incline your ear and come unto me oh precious words come unto me

The Lord Jesus used the same language didn't he? Come unto me incline your ear and come unto me here and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David

Oh that covenant was so precious to David and when he came to the end of his life and we read that among his last words were these although my house be not so with God yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow

what a feast there is for hungry souls Jeremiah said thy words were found and I did eat them and thy word was unto me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart God's word is so comprehensive and how good it is when we find it applied to our own situation a word spoken in due season how good is it?

we read In prophecy the Lord Jesus has the tongue of the learned. He says the Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned that I might be able to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Oh what a word in season the gospel is.

to those who are weary come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest on another occasion the Lord Jesus said if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink and in the last chapters of the Bible we read of that living water again I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely whosoever will let him take the water of life freely and we need that empty hand of faith to receive these things nothing nothing in my hand I bring To thy cross I cling

So we have these four things Reputation without reality Sin without shame on the other hand we have power without parameters without boundaries and good without grudging the Lord loveth the cheerful giver we read and my friends he is a cheerful giver he giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not well may the Lord bless his word needy souls be encouraged. Amen.